On Wednesday, Capital Police arrested longtime Democratic staffer and intern Jackson Cosko for releasing the personal information of GOP Senators onto the internet during the Kavanaugh hearing last week. Despite the seriousness of the disturbing act known as “doxxing”, all three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) ignored his arrest Thursday morning. CNN touched on the case Thursday afternoon but refused to report he’s a Democrat and he was targeting Republicans on the Judiciary Committee.
While the broadcast networks were hyperventilating about the future of their smears against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, they deemed this related story unimportant.
To continue masquerading as an objective news organization, CNN’s Dana Bash covered Cosko’s arrest in a fleeting 20 seconds long news brief:
U.S. Capitol Police arrested a suspect for allegedly doxxing lawmakers during the Kavanaugh hearings last week. Doxing the publishing of people's personal information online. Police say 27-year-old Jackson Cosko of Washington posted private information of one or more Senators. He’s in custody and expected to appear in court today.
Conspicuously absent from the train wreck news brief was Cosko’s motive, which becomes clear as day when his party ID is added to the mix. “Cosko has been identified as a former intern for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). He previously worked for Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan (N.H.) and Barbara Boxer (Calif.),” reported The Hill.
The Hill also reported that Cosko “posted the home addresses and personal cell phone numbers of GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mike Lee (Utah) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) on Wikipedia.” Something Bash failed to do.
Judging by The Hill’s more detailed report, the charges were more serious that Bash led on:
The suspect, 27-year-old Jackson Cosko of Washington, D.C., has been charged with publicizing restricted personal information, witness tampering, second-degree burglary, threatening interstate communications, unauthorized use of a government computer, identity theft, and unlawful entry, according to a Wednesday press release.
But surely CNN’s own online report was just as detailed, right? Not a chance. The last update to their report of the arrest on CNN.com was at 10:32 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, and there was not one mention of Cosko’s party affiliation or who he was targeting.
“Cosko has been charged with making restricted personal information public, making threats in interstate commerce, unauthorized access of a government computer, identity theft and obstruction of justice/witness tampering, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia,” reported CNN’s Sophie Tatum. “He's also facing charges of second-degree burglary and unlawful entry for incidents in Washington.”
This was an abdication of their duty as journalists with the intent to keep the GOP looking like the villains to their viewers.
[H/T Daily Caller's Joe Simonson]
The transcript is below:
CNN
Inside Politics
October 4, 2018
12:40:37 p.m. EasternDANA BASH: U.S. Capitol Police arrested a suspect for allegedly doxing lawmakers during the Kavanaugh hearings last week. Doxxing the publishing of people's personal information online. Police say 27-year-old Jackson Cosko of Washington posted private information of one or more Senators. He’s in custody and expected to appear in court today.
